Full of fiber and vitamins A and C, fresh, locally-grown asparagus is a spring treat, with a grassy tang and firm texture.
To prepare fresh asparagus, just rinse it off and snap off the bottoms. Stand it upright in a bowl or lay flat in a microwave-safe dish with a 1/2 inch of water, microwave for about 3-4 minutes a pound, more for thicker stems.
Drain the water or serve the asparagus on a dish with tongs with sauce on the side to dip, because asparagus spears are both a fancy side dish and one of the few foods that even Miss Manners declares is properly eaten with fingers.
A good spear holds up well to a strong-flavored topping. Try:
- Vinaigrette dressing or other salad dressing
- Romesco sauce, or marinara
- Miso dressing (mix a little miso paste with oil and vingear)
- One-minute hollandaise sauce
or just a squirt of lemon or salt and pepper.
And here’s a fascinating fact: science still hasn’t fully explained why asparagus makes some people’s pee smell funny but not others. It can also give some people’s urine a green or pink tinge. This appears to be due to a genetics difference in digestion, and there are reports of women who never noticed the smell before experiencing it only during pregnancy, which researchers speculate might be due to the presence of fetal DNA.
Another way to bond with baby before birth!
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